The present invention relates generally to apparatus and method of adaptive cruise control and support for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to apparatus and method of adaptive cruise control and support which concerns selection of target vehicle and selection of target lane position.
A Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-137900 (hereinafter referred to as “JP2000-137900”) shows an adaptive cruise control device, or an inter-vehicle distance control device for supporting an operation of following a target vehicle and also for supporting an operation of performing a lane change. The inter-vehicle distance control device is configured to predict a future lateral position of a neighboring vehicle based on a relative lateral speed of the neighboring vehicle, and to select a target vehicle based on the predicted lateral position, and a current lateral position, of the neighboring vehicle.